Sweet Family Christmas
by TrixieKrueger
Summary: Mr. Sweet and his two sons finally get the opportunity to spend their first Christmas together as a family. The boys bring their lady friends along for the occasion. Drama, misunderstandings, and romance ensues. Rated T for themes and suggestions/mentions of adult activity. Peddie, Ben/Piper, Eddie/Ben/Eric father-son. One Shot.


**Rating:** Rated high T for suggestive situations, themes, and mentions of adult activity. If you can't handle it, don't read it.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

"Ah! Edison, Patricia, so nice to see both of you! Come, come…have a seat in the common room. Benjamin and Piper should be here shortly. You will have to excuse the lack of festivity around the house. I thought we might all decorate the tree together."

"_What_ a great idea, Dad…" Eddie shot a seedy grin over to Patricia, "That will give me another chance to show Yacker how it's _really_ done."

She rolled her eyes and huffed at the suggestion. He pursed his lips as he turned back to his father, trying to reign in his joy.

"See…_I_ did a fantastic job decorating ours at home. …I wouldn't be surprised if one of those lame home decor magazines she's been secretly obsessing over the last few months would show up and want to put it in the Tree Hall of Fame or whatever it is."

"You can just set those packages down over there, Son."

"It's a Top 10 list of the most unique tree themes, _Weasel_," Patricia chimed in, "and I only read those to pick out the best vintage ideas. Our house looks nothing like the same boring pictures they keep shoving in everyone's faces."

Eddie gave an easy chuckle in the direction of the tie he was trying to smooth out, it had gotten rustled out of place as he carried their gifts inside. In an almost automatic response, Patricia swatted his hands away and repositioned the knot for him. She could feel his eyes fixated onto her lash line just waiting for her green to flick up to meet his brown that, based on experience, somehow always conveyed every bit of love he held for her. She didn't know if he could say the same for her's but she had accidentally met that stare once.

His mouth was probably turned up slightly at one corner and if she were to look up right now, it would probably spread out as the lopsided smirk took over his whole countenance. He would then take a step into her personal space and the butterflies in the pit of her stomach would flutter more furiously than they already were when he would reach out and thread a hand into her hair. His warm breath would ghost across her lips and she would try to object because they _weren't. that. couple._ but even more so because she hated that they somehow actually _were_.

Eddie would throw out a challenge to her and she wouldn't hesitate to _show_ him what she was going to do about it because Patricia Williamson had never backed down from a challenge _ever_ and Patricia Miller wasn't about to start. And then it would escalate and one innocent thing would lead to another less so until they were wrapped up in nothing but their bed sheets trading insults and pecks because even after finishing high school, starting college, and saying "I do" together, "I love you" still felt too obvious and mainstream.

And since it wasn't exactly ideal for any of that to occur in front of her Headmaster turned father-in-law, she trained her eyes onto the 'ugly sweater' patterned tie her husband had picked out as one final protest to his father's request that they all get dressed up for the occasion.

No, Patricia was perfectly content soaking in the heat radiating from his chest that thawed her fingertips and the occasional hint of his cologne that would breeze off of him when he would shift his feet in an attempt to annoy her enough to get a glare out of her.

"So you are enjoying married life together, I take it?" Mr. Sweet inquired brightly after seeing the way Patricia began to blush under Eddie's gaze.

She patted his tie in it's corrected place and took his leather jacket from his arm, "Eh, I wouldn't go _that_ far…"

Eddie shoved his hands in his pockets and returned the mischievous smirk she shot at him as she left the room. He laughed to himself as he answered his father's question, "Best wife ever…"

* * *

Patricia's laughter filled the whole house from the chair she and Eddie were sharing for their video chat with his mother back in the States. They weren't going to be able to make it back to her until after the new year but still wanted to spend some of the holidays with her as best they could from across the pond. The other members of Eddie's extended family could be heard in the background from where she had holed up in a quieter part of the house he had grown up in. And for the most part, it wasn't terribly different to him than being there in person. The only thing missing was the food, and judging by the smell in the house, Eddie wasn't going to miss that for long either.

Mr. Sweet was enjoying every bit of the display in front of him; Eddie's objections melding with his mother's voice that had been delivering all the embarrassing details of his childhood that had his wife in stitches. The miracle of all miracles to him was that all of it was under his roof at the same time. They hadn't spent a proper Christmas together as a family in ages and it was gratifying for him to witness the women he and his son had fallen in love with get on so well together.

But even still as he enjoyed their banter back and forth, he couldn't help but to feel a pang of guilt for thinking that this was how it was supposed to have been all along, how it should've been. Especially when he had another son, whom he also very much loved, on the way over at the same time that the thought had crossed his mind.

"Give me to your dad," Eddie's mom laughed, "I want to see if he still remembers that day I had to call him about this."

"Psh, _gladly_!" Eddie agreed and handed the laptop over to Mr. Sweet.

"Eric…hi," she smiled shyly until something in the corner caught her eye. "Wait… Why did you put your tree up with no decoration on it? Never mind! Do you remember the time that…"

The grin crept across Patricia's face the moment she had Eddie to herself and he rolled his eyes.

"Go ahead, do your worst. Just remember that we're going to _your_ folks place tomorrow…" he snarled.

"I wasn't going to say anything…'_Eddie Bear_'…" Patricia pinched his cheeks just long enough for him to grab her hands down as she tossed her head back to let out another hearty laugh. Eddie couldn't even maintain any semblance of annoyance, not with her that happy. She was infectious, and his grin spread in time with his thumb brushing across her knee.

"Hey, when she gets done destroying my rep, can you ask Mom if our gift made it to her in one piece?"

Mr. Sweet didn't even have time to react before she stopped mid-sentence with her answer, "Oh, yes! How could I have forgotten? It was wrapped so nicely and it will go beautifully in my kitchen, thank you guys!"

Patricia with a knowing look, threaded her fingers into those of her husband's wandering hand that had made it up to her mid-thigh, "Eddie picked it out. I am absolute rubbish at gift ideas but the wrapping… Now _that_ I can definitely take credit for."

The doorbell rang and Mr. Sweet jumped out of the trance he had fallen into the moment he was handed the laptop. It was only the second face-to-face conversation he had been able to have with Eddie's mother in years. Not only would he not have been able to get a word in, he hadn't even mustered the courage to try.

"Oh! I'm not keeping you from your guests am I?"

"It's probably my sister," Patricia spoke up, "she doesn't know how to ring the bell only once. I'll go get it."

"About time you got up, my leg was falling asleep here, Yacker!"

"Can it, Krueger!"

Eddie's mom giggled at the exchange in the background, "You're expecting Piper? I didn't know you were having both families over. You know I could've flown in, Eric…"

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Mr. Sweet smiled despite the disappointment and confusion that filled her face, "We're not having both families over…_Piper_ is here because she and _Benjamin_ are a little bit of an item."

"No!" Miss Miller gasped.

"Indeed they are," Eric smirked, "…And there they are now."

He pointed the webcam toward the entrance way where Piper was hanging her coat, Ben was sneaking up a piece of mistletoe to trap her underneath, and Patricia was rolling her eyes at the smirk on his face.

"Eric?"

"Yes, Dear?…" he cleared his throat, "Oh my, forgive me—"

"I-it's fine… If you don't mind, I'd like to be able to say hello to them and then I'll leave you all to your time together. But…have one of the kids show you how to make more calls like this, okay? I'd like to be able to see you and catch up more often…"

"Yes, c-certainly. I would rather enjoy that myself…"

* * *

"That is one quality tree, huh Yacker?" Ben shook Eddie's hand in agreement as they stood back admiring their craftsmanship. The twins sat across the common room with matching unimpressed expressions on their faces. "_Come on_, at least I didn't break any ornaments here…that's gotta be a plus right?"

Patricia and Piper raised an eyebrow in unison.

"Wow, tough crowd," Ben mused. "Is this what I have to look forward to?"

"Yup. You're going to feel like _twice_ the idiot whenever you mess up in front of them."

The girls ignored the ongoing discussion about them and walked over in silence to begin swapping colors and sizes with each other as if they knew exactly what the other was thinking.

After a step back and a quick survey, the girls high-fived each other with cheeky grins and met up with their respective partners.

Ben had a look of total bewilderment on his face as Piper cozied up to his side and planted a kiss on his cheek under the mistletoe.

"_Now_…it's a quality tree," Patricia smirked at Eddie when he shrugged his arms out in question. "Could use a string of popcorn though…"

"W-what?! You guys only switched like…three things around and barely moved the rest, you can't just say that!"

Ben lead Piper over to the couch where they cuddled up even closer. He brushed her hair back on one side and tucked it behind her ear placing a gentle kiss on her temple in it's place. She smiled softly and leaned into it. Her eyes eased shut as he made hushed promises into her ear that they would never embarrass themselves like that in front of an audience and she reassured him that this was just their personal version of PDA; that her twin sister had been that way her whole life.

"I, on the other hand, have absolutely no problem with sharing my feelings like a normal human being."

"Yeah?" he trailed a palm up and down her arm leaving goosebumps in it's wake.

"Yeah," her eyes fluttered open as she sat up to look him in the eyes, "I love you."

"Not nearly as much as I love you, Piper…trust me."

And then he kissed her. Slowly and softly as if she were the most fragile thing in the entire world and she savored the taste and pace of it until she realized they were among family and pulled back with reluctance. That wasn't exactly the type of expression of feelings she was looking for, but she settled back into his side because cuddling was not crossing any lines.

"Mr. Sweet, it's your tree. Which way did you prefer it?" Patricia finally broke down to end the back and forth that was growing a bit too heated to not have a way to outlet all the tension between she and Eddie.

His eyes darted between the couples, all four of them looking to him with hopeful eyes and after years of waiting for this Christmas together, something as trivial as tree ornaments didn't matter to him. His eyes began to get misty, "Well I think just having you all here is marvelous enough…either way it is the best tree I have had in years."

"Awww, that is _so_ sweet," Piper choked on the verge of tears herself.

Patricia shot Eddie a look of distress and he knew exactly what she was getting at adding, "Oh-kay! Let's just skip waiting for dinner and get to opening gifts before this spirals into too big of a sap fest. Who wants dibs to go first? …_Dad_?"

Mr. Sweet cleared his throat, "Well, I suppose I could…if you insist."

* * *

"You know Benjamin, I have been admiring this very tie you have on all evening, where on earth did you manage to find them?" Mr. Sweet made quick work of removing his favorite bow tie to replace it with the new crisp white one that featured an elegant sheet music design he had just been gifted.

Ben squeezed Piper into a hug for a job well done and kissed her hair with a muffled, "You will have to ask this beautiful genius."

"Ben, st—haha—op, Silly!" She could practically feel Patricia's eyes rolling at them from across the room, but she didn't care. This kind of behavior was natural and normal to them. A little bit of love on Christmas wasn't going to damage her misery guts any. "I actually picked them up at an adorable little music stop on campus and thought of you boys. I think it suits you rather well, Eric. Don't you, Ben?"

"You really think so?" he tugged at each side of the bow and Ben pulled his arm from behind Piper to do the same.

Eddie gave an annoyed glance to either side of the room, "This is so touching, you two match. Now I think I might cry."

"Jealous…" Patricia mumbled from the arm of his chair and he scoffed.

Ben smiled wildly as he tossed a small box over to his half-brother, "Good thing we picked up one for you too, eh Millie?"

Eddie set up in a panic. His dad had tried to get him into them for years and finally, as a last ditch effort to get it to stop, he had promised to start wearing them if there was someone else who knew him that _really_ thought he was the type to wear a bow tie.

"Benji, _you didn't_… Piper?!"

"Oh, but we did! Open it up and see for yourself!"

Eddie ripped the paper off the box in record timing, grumbling low enough so that only Patricia could hear it. A small grin crept it's way onto his face as he unveiled the contents of the box. Turns out, they had gotten him a gag bow tie, one that sprayed water in an unsuspecting victim's face at the touch of a button.

"Good one, you two… Good one. I love it, thanks."

And that wasn't a lie…he actually did. It felt like he was being allowed into their own special little father-son nerd club but allowed in on his own terms.

* * *

"So, is that everything then?" Patricia asked several packages later, "Looks like you get the honor of first and last gift, Mr. Sweet!"

Admittedly, she was nervous for the unveiling of this one. Eddie had been so excited when he had decided on it that she was afraid for the reaction it was going to bring. She didn't want Eddie to be disappointed if Mr. Sweet already owned it or didn't like it.

"_Actually_," Ben cleared his throat, "I have a little surprise for Piper…"

"But, we agreed to only exchange one and leave the rest for Christmas Day; I didn't bring another gift for you, Babe…"

"Yeah, I know, Piper but…this one can't wait any longer…" He pulled a small ring box topped with a small red bow from his pocket and handed it over to her, "Now, I know how you feel about finishing university before everything else, so don't get too upset with me…"

Piper opened the box and was greeted with the words 'I promise…' on the underside of the lid. The ring itself looked suspiciously like an engagement ring to her and her scared eyes flicked up to meet his.

"You won't let me propose to you, but you never said I couldn't promise. And Piper, I promise that this is a promise ring until you decide it isn't anymore…"

She tried not to cry when he went as far as to put the ring on her right hand instead of her left, sealing his promise when he brought her hand to his lips for a kiss.

"Oh please," Patricia whispered down to Eddie.

"Jealous?" he whispered back, genuinely concerned he had done everything opposite to how she had wanted it to have been.

"Hardly," she sneered thumbing the band of her own ring that she felt bad for thinking was bigger than Piper's.

Sure, this whole display was a little more heartfelt and romantic than driving halfway to Vegas only to have to turn back around to ease Eddie's mother's sobs when she caught wind that they planned to get married without everyone in attendance. But who needed heartfelt? That was the difference between the two of them in all facets of life… Piper needed structure and reassurance and _apparently_ for Ben to make kissy faces at her at every possible moment but Patricia… She just needed rawness and spontaneity. She didn't need Eddie to make big gestures or to try to impress her, nor did she ever want him to. She just needed him to get her and to be there for her when she was too much for everyone else to handle. Her husband had _never_ lacked any of that.

Eddie kept a disgusted eye on his brother and Piper until they finally broke out of their hug and stopped trading kisses. Sometimes it still stirred up old memories for him to see Benji so affectionate with a girl who looked just like his own wife.

"Oh-kay… Now that the chick flick is over with… Dad, your turn, last gift. Now, I hope you're really going to love it, I actually did research and everything before I settled on it!"

Mr. Sweet waved a hand as he brought his glasses back to his face. He had been wiping tears…typical.

"Now, now Edison. What is the hurry, let them have their moment. Perhaps Benjamin would like to tell us more about their plans?" He looked to his younger son with an eager smile, "You two have obviously discussed getting married in the future…"

Eddie ducked his head as soon as his father took his attention off of him.

Patricia and Piper locked eyes as if to say a mutual 'I'm sorry' for the situation they were all now put into.

"There really isn't much to tell, Eric…" Piper laughed to which Ben gave a curious look before beginning to spill details on the extravagant plans they had for the future.

As soon as Paris was mentioned and it was clear this conversation was going to take forever, Eddie left the room without addressing any of them.

* * *

"Do you plan on sitting down here and pouting for the rest of the night or what?"

"I'm _not_ pouting."

"Sure you're not." Patricia flipped on the light of the spare bedroom that had become a miscellaneous storage room after Eddie had moved out. "You're just sitting on the floor…in the dark…smiling about all the joys of life."

"Ha ha. I'm just trying to let off some steam so I don't ruin Dad's night…"

Patricia sighed, she understood what he meant. It was difficult to live always in the shadow of your 'better' sibling. It seemed that even after agreements were reached and the competitions ceased, just their natural superiority made it feel like they were constantly trying to outshine you.

"Your dad opened your gift you know…he loved it, even Piper and Ben were impressed."

He scoffed, "Yeah I know, I just heard them all raving over that classical garbage. See…he doesn't even need me to talk about it with him even though I did all that research to—oh! You can't sit there, Yacker," he warned as she started making her way toward the only logical seating option in the room. "That's Dad's favorite chair, he put it in here specifically because he didn't want anyone else touching it."

"Psh…_watch_ me."

Eddie moved to pick himself off the floor and once Patricia noticed, she shot over and had already sat down before Eddie could stop her…he had grasped onto the armrests just a moment too late. From this position, he towered over the top her and all the repressed tension from the rest of the night came bubbling to the surface when the mixture of her shampoo and perfume hit him in the face. Patricia had always made him feel better, even when she wasn't necessarily trying to. And though sparks of anger still surged throughout him, his focus had now shifted without a warning.

But the two of them had always blurred the lines of pleasure and pain together anyway, so it was no real surprise.

"Tell me the truth, am I an idiot?" He was staring down at her again, just as he had when the night had begun.

"Yes," she refused to match his breathy tone. "Ben insisted that he open the gift while they were talking and as soon as Sweetie saw what it was he cut Ben off and wouldn't shut up about you until I came down here looking for you."

"Well, maybe I should go thank him then…"

His tie brushed against her torso, he wasn't touching her but he may as well have been with him filling all her other senses. She squirmed at the ache spreading throughout her body because they absolutely _could not_ start this right here, right now with family down the hall; but then again, they never really were known to play by the rules so it was even more alarming to her that they absolutely _could_.

When Eddie positioned a hand beside Patricia's head her voice came out a little more throaty than she had wanted, "Not everything is a competition with Ben, Eddie."

He nudged a knee between her legs and smirked, "I know. There's one area I'm sure I've got him beat, don't you think, Yacker?"

Her eyes flicked up to meet his and a smart grin filled her face as she crossed her legs slowly and deliberately as to touch as much of his as she could possibly manage, "I wouldn't know… I don't have any means of comparison, Krueger."

Eddie gave a snort before crashing his lips to hers because if this banter were to continue any further he was going to explode, both literally and figuratively. He misinterpreted the grip she took on his shoulders as a sign to continue and soon her black cocktail dress was inching up her thighs.

She broke their kiss and he turned his attention to her neck without skipping a beat. "Did you plan this, Weasel?" She took the smirk against her neck as a confirmation of guilt. "Because we are _not_ having sex when our family is in earshot, they could barge in on us at any moment!"

"Well then, you better get out of here," he mumbled as the hand by her head began to toy with the strap of her dress. "Because you know how this usually goes, Yacker…"

Patricia gasped when Eddie drew the skin of her throat between his lips.

"Okay! Alright, _cut it out_!" she pushed him away from her so she could see him face-to-face. "I'm going to go see how close supper is to being finished and then we're going to eat quickly and get out of here."

"Patricia you really are the best wife ever," he barely managed to groan out coherently before locking lips with her again.

* * *

"Are you sure you all have to go so soon? No, what am I saying…of course you have to be on your way, busy days ahead."

Even in his urgency to leave, Eddie stepped back into the common room. He had already sat through a meal and family photos, being a decent son to his father wasn't going to prolong his agony anymore than it already had been prolonged.

"If you want, I can come by this weekend and we can talk about that music I got you… Like I said, I did a lot of research on it…"

"That would be just splendid, Edison. Perhaps you can also show me how to make video calls to your mother? _Hmmm_?"

"I would love that, Dad," Eddie wrapped him in a hug before making his way back to the door where his brother was waiting. "Benji can come too… If he wants…"

"Nah, that's okay, Millie. I'll swing by and see Dad another day when Piper is free." Mr. Sweet nodded in understanding as Ben took down the mistletoe they were standing awkwardly underneath together.

Eddie stuck a hand out to him, "Sorry I walked out on you earlier. I'm happy for you guys and I want to hear what you have planned."

Ben accepted the handshake and pulled him into a brief hug. "Not my best idea considering the timing but I just couldn't wait any longer, you get it right?"

They looked to their better halves, Piper gave a shy wave and Patricia scowled even harder at the amount of time Eddie was taking to talk.

"Yeah," he smirked, "I get it."

"_Edison_, are you coming anytime soon?" Patricia sneered.

"Here, you may need this more than I do…" Ben offered the mistletoe over and Eddie chuckled.

"You know, Benj," he slapped him on the shoulder as he walked by, "somehow I don't think I will…"

* * *

"This is the absolute _worst_ idea you have ever had, Krueger."

"No way," he yawned running a hand along the curve of her waist. "This is the _best_ idea I've ever had. And that is still a quality tree, by the way."

Patricia sighed. They had survived the first Sweet Family Christmas together with only a few minor bumps. It's just too bad that they didn't have the same willpower to make it further into their house than the common room. That's how she had found herself and Eddie under the glow of their Christmas tree covered in the skirt that was meant for it's trunk.

She really hated that look he gives her.

* * *

**A/N:** _This is part of a group of posts within the fandom dedicated to the ruining nature of Ben/Piper. Be on the lookout for a video from musicalwheaten on youtube and a photo set or two by eddiekruegar on tumblr._


End file.
